Well, yesterday was my god-daughter’s christening and baptism. She was a vision in adorableness, in her white dress. And she behaved beautifully sleeping through most of the service, only waking up when the reverend took her in his arms - the same reverend that had married her parents, christened her mother and married her grand-parents (very cool).

It struck me when I got home that I had started my official god-mothering in a fitting way. I don’t think of parenting as particularly glamourous - it’s a lot of work. And my contribution as god-mother worked out the same way - low on glamour, high on work. I realized at the end of the evening that I hadn’t held my god-daughter once or had my picture taken with her to say I was actually there (tho I assume there are pics from the church). My major contribution yesterday was helping my friend so that she could be all smiles with her beautiful daughter in her arms on her first Mother’s Day. So here’s how my day went:

• Be woken up at 6 a.m. by my mother so I could wish her Happy Mother’s Day
• Alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m.
• Get up at  6:40 a.m. and jump in shower
• Eat some breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
• Iron a shirt at 7:20 a.m.
• Apply makeup, do hair, get dressed and leave by 7:50 a.m. making sure to grab card and gift
• Arrive at the house at 8 a.m.
• Start with balloons (helped to blow them up the day before), tying them to tents outside
• Pause for water at 8:20 a.m. because it’s too hot
• Finish with balloons
• Help to set up food tables
• At 9 a.m. help to get Aliyah dressed
• Leave house at 9:30 a.m.
• Get to the church in time for 9:45 a.m.
• Sit through long and hot service which started at 10:05 a.m.
• Stand by the parents’ side for blessing and baptism
• Sit through more of service
• Leave after sermon to go pick up food
• Get to house with food just after 12
• Help set out food

By now you must be getting the idea. Once everyone was there it was a little easier but I was still helping make sure people were ok, collecting the gifts then moving them to upstairs, eventually helping to clean up (packing up chairs, collecting glasses, washing up dishes, packing away leftovers, sharing out food, etc.). By time I got home it was nearly 5 p.m. and I was totally wrecked.

At the end of the day, I did all of that for my friend and my god-daughter who both paid me in smiles. Totally worth it!!